California State University, Northridge

April 29, 1997

Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
cchandler@exec.csun.edu

Preeminent Sociologist to Talk About Social Inequity and Race-Based Policy

Wilson's speech, "New Social Inequity and Race-Based Public Policy," will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Campus Theater on the southwest corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. His appearance at CSUN is part of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences' Distinguished Lecture Series.

Wilson, a sociologist, has an international reputation in the area of work and urban poverty. He currently serves as a close advisor to President Bill Clinton on issues of race, poverty and the inner city.

His book, "The Declining Significance of Race," ignited a heated debate about the relationship between race and class when it came out in 1978. His later book, "The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner-City Underclass and Public Policy," was responsible for the widespread use of the term "underclass" and chronicled the breakdown of the inner city ghetto due to the exodus of middle-class blacks, the flight of jobs, and the decline of employment among black men.

Wilson's most recent book, "When Work Disappears: The World of the Urban Poor," documents the difficulty young, black, inner-city men face when looking for work. In it he emphasizes the importance of work and its role in inner-city problems.

Admission to his lecture is free. For more information, call the Sociology Department at (818) 677-3591.